confirmation day...

alaina and her st. charles classmates were confirmed at the basilica of st. mary's in minneapolis this past monday night. it was a beautiful evening and a memorable event, one more milestone in the life of my oldest. next week, 8th grade graduation!

a tour of target field...

apple gets an "A"...

my daughter bought a 5th generation ipod nano about 7 months ago, with money she had earned from various babysitting gigs. recently we discovered that the ipod would no longer charge, or even be recognized by a computer. upon further examination, i determined that one of the pins on the dock connector was bent, actually almost mashed flat, thus rendering the ipod pretty much worthless. i wasn't sure of the warranty on the ipod but i was certain that even if the device was still under warranty, apple surely would not cover an ipod that had obviously been damaged by accident. out of desperation, i decided to make an appointment at the local "genius bar", fully expecting to have to pop for $80 for the flat-rate repair cost. i arrived at the prescribed time, explained my plight, and was pleasantly surprised by apple's response. though the device was still under warranty, apple's policy is that warranty's do not cover accidental damage, as was the case with this ipod. i was told that they would make an exception in my case and agreed to replace the ipod with an exact color\make\and model at zero charge. there wasn't one available in the store but they ordered one from a nearby location and will call me when it arrives. nothing short of amazing service!
i am not at all, nor have i ever been, an apple hater. i use a mac every single day (as i do a windows pc), but i have not hidden my disdain in the past for those that fall and bow at the alter of all things apple. macvangelists, apple fan boys and those that believe that one should only ever use, under any circumstances, a computer produced on infinite loop street, and those that don't, are no doubt less enlightened than those that "get it, have always made me cringe. that apple makes great products is no secret, and the fact that they have loyal followers is not a surprise. i am talking about the extreme fringe that worship at the feet of jobs and cupertino (ever see "mac heads"?).
i will however say apple does at least one thing well. very well. consistently. and that is: customer service. my experience with apple, whether it be a tech support representative on the phone, or a genius in the store, has always been positive. this latest incident proves that they will go the extra step to ensure customer satisfaction, even if they have to bend their own rules to do it. it's service like this that helps explain, at least in part, why apple has such a loyal following. so if you're out there, Apple employee 213551392-R022, i want to say "thank you". i may not plaster your white apple stickers all over my car, but i am a big fanatic of being treated well as a customer.

happy birthday mom!...

mom showing off another one of her famous homemade pies - happy birthday mom! we love you!

st. charles competes in national quiz bowl...

the st. charles middle school quiz bowl team travelled to chicago to compete in the national tournament this weekend. they went 6-2 on saturday to advance into the playoff round where they were beaten by the eventual tournament champions. they finished 6-4 overall to claim the 10th spot out of 36 teams. i was proud of alaina and her classmates, they were a strong team and represented themselves and their school with class.

website
st charles - final stats

what the heck is going on?

posting this a couple of hours early as we will be on the road all day tomorrow.
word of advice: don't blink, your kid's will grow up. happy birthday alaina! mom & dad love you and are very proud of you

big day for a big guy...

owen celebrated his first communion yesterday with his classmates from st. charles. another big milestone for my son - growing up much too fast!